Reference is made to my previously issued U.S. Pat. No. 4,037,337 and to the art cited therein for additional background of this invention. Reference is also made to my co-pending patent application Ser. No. 817,733, filed July 21, 1977, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,133,121.
In digging ditches, it is sometimes necessary to form the bottom of the ditch into a flat surface which often must be held within considerably close tolerance with regard to the deviation thereof from a horizontal plane. Simultaneously with the forming of a flat bottom ditch, it is also often desirable that the opposed sidewalls of the ditch immediately adjacent the bottom be cut exactly vertical with any irregularities therein being minimized. The foregoing desirable ditch is difficult to achieve using prior art excavating bucket and backhoe combinations.
It is furthermore desirable for one to be able to easily position the bucket such that the digging teeth thereof penetrate the earth at the optimum cutting angle. Another desirable feature often associated with buckets is for the structural integrity thereof to be sufficient to enable efficient operation in all sorts of geological formations with a minimum of down time being encountered for repairs. It would also be desirable to provide a bucket made into a configuration which enables it to carry a considerable volume of excavated material on the top thereof, thereby greatly increasing the actual payload of the bucket well beyond its actual displacement. In addition, it would be advantageous to have made available an improved digging tooth which encounters and excavates earth more efficiently than heretofore realized, and wherein the teeth can be easily changed in the field without employment of special tools.
The above desirable attributes are the subject of this invention.